Fire at CET Iași heating plant leaves 22,000 apartments without heat

The fire and the firefighting response

A fire broke out on Saturday, 17 October, at an electrical transformer inside the CET Iași heating plant on Calea Chișinăului in Iași, Romania. Several outlets report that a blast at the transformer came before the flames, and local outlet Ziarul de Iași published images showing the explosion. The fire spread to the first floor of an industrial hall, covering about 1,000 square metres of a building with a total area of roughly 5,000 square metres. Power supply to the affected area was cut off while crews worked on the blaze.

Firefighters from Detachments 1 and 2 of the Mihail Sturdza emergency inspectorate of Iași county mobilised seven intervention vehicles. Detachment 2 sent three water and foam tenders, a vehicle for rescue and work at height, and a qualified first aid crew, while Detachment 1 sent one water and foam tender and a vehicle for transporting personnel and multiple casualties. Crews also worked to clear smoke and prevent the fire from reigniting. The inspectorate later said the fire had been put out, and no victims were reported.

Cause and current status

The probable cause has not been established, and the inspectorate said verification checks would follow to determine it. Mayor Mihai Chirica said the fire started on the electrical network and that the plant's thermal engine had been stopped since Friday, 16 October, with the heat boiler disconnected. He said the engine was not damaged, but that the power supply had been cut and a smell of burnt oil persisted.

It is a fire on the electrical network. There are no victims, and at this moment there is no open flame.

Chirica said the city would try to switch to a secondary power line once the firefighters had finished their work.

Impact on heating and hot water

Sorin Turcu, union leader of Energia at CET Iași, said the plant was fully affected by the incident and that the city was left without hot water and heating. He said that the team was working to keep residents connected to the centralised system for as short a time as possible. Turcu also said that 15 people were on the shift and that none of them was injured. The centralised heating system serves 22,000 apartments, 138 public institutions and 171 economic entities in Iași.

We are trying to return to normal as quickly as possible. Activity is affected 100%. Let's see what alternatives exist.

Open questions

No report sets a date for restoring heat and hot water, and Turcu said alternatives were still being assessed. He added that the effects on the installations would be evaluated as soon as possible, and that the exact cause of the fire could not yet be stated. The fire itself has been put out, but the supply disruption and its cause remain open at the time of the reports.